Mom tattoos: Inked with love

by
S. Jhoanna Robledo

Sarah Unterbrink is no Angelina Jolie. She's never been to Africa, isn't a tabloid regular, and isn't playing house with Brad Pitt. But the two women do have one thing in common: They both have tattoos honoring their kids.

Flip flop gal

The Hollywood star and U.N. goodwill ambassador has the coordinates of the countries where her six children were born stamped on her upper left arm. Unterbrink, a Virginia Beach mom, chose to have three flip-flops (her trademark because she wears the shoes year-round) inked on her back, with the names of her daughter, Montana, and two sons, Caleb and Jax, in script above. "I love my tattoo!" she declares.

She has plenty of company. These days, stretch marks are no longer the only permanent reminder of birth. Mothers are increasingly going under the needle and getting tattoos. "It's a way to embrace your parenthood," says Hannah Aitchison, a seasoned tattoo artist who costarred in the reality TV series LA Ink.

Sailors, biker chicks, and mommies

No one knows for sure why so many moms are embracing tattoos, but some experts credit society's growing acceptance of body art in general. After all, many Americans sport tattoos. A recent survey by Harris, an interactive polling company, found that one in five Americans has a tattoo – and slightly more women than men have one.

"It's much more popular now than 20 years ago," says study author Anne Laumann, associate professor of dermatology at Northwestern University.

Tattoo shops confirm that the trend is hot. At Hart & Huntington Tattoo in Orlando, Florida – where tattoo expert Stephen Csombok works – parents make up about a quarter of the clients each week (25 or so). And many times, they come with kids in tow. "It's a family affair," Csombok says.

And it can't hurt that celebrities proudly flaunt their tats. Pamela Anderson has "Mommy" inscribed on her ring finger. Julia Roberts has the names of her three children, Henry and twins Hazel and Phinnaeus, on her lower back. Model Niki Taylor has said the only thing she would ever add to her extensive tattoo work would be her children's initials.

All in the family

Dads are getting in on the act too. Soccer star David Beckham has the names of his three sons scrolled across his back and three cherubs on the inside of his biceps in their honor. He recently added the name of his youngest, daughter Harper, near his heart.

Designer Jeffrey Sebelia, winner of the third season of Project Runway, has his son's name, Harrison Detroit, prominently inscribed on the front of his neck. Brad Pitt is rumored to have a prayer for his adopted son Maddox inscribed on his body. And it's not surprising that Johnny Depp, the iconic pirate of the silver screen, has tattoos for his children, Lily-Rose and Jack.

A work of art

It helps, of course, that tattoo artists have gotten better at their craft. Instead of churning out generic drawings of buxom, scantily clad women, they're fashioning detailed artistic visions that help clients express themselves and commemorate important milestones such as births and deaths.

Angel baby

Designs for parents range from monochromatic initials, birth dates, and simple handprints to elaborate, color-saturated portraits. Parents usually have a basic idea of what they want, says Aitchison, and often the art "celebrates a particular element of their relationship with their children."

One BabyCenter reader has a tiny footprint on her left shoulder for her child who was a preemie.

Another BabyCenter mom is decorated with a trio of hearts surrounded by angel wings, symbolizing her two living children and one who passed away. Another BabyCenter member has a pixie inked on her foot because her daughter reminds her of a little fairy.

The no-regrets tattoo

It isn't surprising that fans of body art tattoo their children's names on their bodies: They're already converts. "It wasn't a stretch for me," says kitchen designer and BabyCenter mom Erin Lazzarini, who already sported three tattoos before having a chain of shamrocks with the name of her son Colin inked on her bicep.

But what about first-timers? To them, paying permanent homage to their children seems more acceptable than choosing random tattoos. Unterbrink says she tried twice to get a tattoo – when she was 18 and again two years later – but didn't go through with it until she had her third child at age 30.

"If I was going to have one, I wanted it to have meaning," she explains. "I didn't want to look back and think, 'Why did I get this rose? Why'd I get this star?'"

Unterbrink agrees: "Husbands and boyfriends come and go. But my kids are mine forever. Nobody can take that away from me."

Pamela Anderson's "Mommy" tattoo on her finger used to be "Tommy" – for her ex-husband Tommy Lee. Jolie's coordinates occupy the same site where she once had a tattoo for ex-husband Billy Bob Thornton. (She had it removed by laser when she and Thornton split up.)

Lazzarini, "When you become a mom, you're no longer just you. You're identified as someone's mom." Getting tattooed is "a way to say, 'I'm a mom and I'm still cool,'" adds Aitchison. "They want to remind themselves that while they're parents, they can still hang on to a part of their previous lives."

5 things to do before you tattoo

1. Wait until you've weanedRachel Lewis, a New York City-based pediatrician, suggests holding off if you're still breastfeeding your baby. The ink isn't the problem – there's not enough to leach into your milk in large doses. But you could get an infection (anything from staph to HIV) from a contaminated needle, which might pass to your baby through your breast milk.

Most licensed tattoo and piercing artists use sterile instruments, so the odds of infection are slim, but you don't want to take any chances when it comes to your baby.

2. Do your homeworkResearch tattoo parlors in your area and find ones with a good reputation. Be sure to check local regulations and licensing rules. When you get a short list, take a tour and see how shop workers and artists respond to you.

Whether it's your first tattoo or your 15th, the employees should make you feel comfortable. If a place makes you uneasy, "you should just walk out," says Aitchison. "They obviously don't care about service."

3. Read the roomAsk to see the room where clients get their tattoos. According to health experts, tattoo shops should require artists to wear latex gloves, use new needles and ink trays for each customer, and have a working autoclave (a machine that sterilizes reusable equipment).

That said, vigilance is key: "I don't believe that it's ever safe to get a tattoo unless you know the needles are disposable or you've seen them sterilized in an autoclave with your own eyes," says Robert Weiss, a dermatologist at the Maryland Laser, Skin, and Vein Institute.

4. Do a quick flipLook through each artist's portfolio. "Not all tattoos are created equal," says Aitchison. "If tattoos with blown-out lines, smearing, or blotchiness are included in an artist's portfolio, beware. They should want to put their best foot forward."

While rates vary greatly, remember that "you get what you pay for," she says. Fees usually start at $100 per hour but vary greatly depending on the size and style of your design and where it will be on your body.

5. Make up your mindRemember: Tattoos are permanent. While you may not regret paying artistic homage to your kids, you may wind up dissatisfied if you get a tattoo before you're fully committed to a design.

If you really like the idea of a portrait of your child, Aitchison suggests waiting until your baby is at least a year old before you get the tattoo. "The older they get, the more distinct their characteristics are," she says. Otherwise, the image could end up looking generic.

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